Sony, Sanyo ramp up CCD productionBy
Mike Tomkins(Tuesday, February 11, 2003 - 01:38 EST)Sony Corp. and Sanyo Electric Co. are both ramping up production of CCD image sensors, largely due to growth in the cell-phone camera market, Reuters and Dow Jones report.Sanyo apparently plans to spend some ¥45 billion (US$380 million) over the next three years on boosting its production of the chips, and will increase its total CCD production five-fold between the end of 2002, and Spring 2004 - from 10 to 50 million sensors monthly.

Sony, which targets more of its CCDs at the higher-end of the market for camcorders and digital still cameras, is increasing capacity from 3.5 million units monthly to 4.6 million by March. That will further increase to 7.2 million sensors monthly by this summer, as output is boosted at its Kumamoto semiconductor business unit plant.

Sony is projecting it will exceed its CCD production target of ¥70 billion for 2002/03. The company is expecting to begin producing CCD sensors for mobile phones this summer, and says it will aim at increasing resolution and image quality from cell-phone cameras.Source:
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